Michael Evans is a writer and Homeschooling father who gave his three children—ages seven to eleven—an assignment to pen self-help books for other children. The results of this project impressed Michael so much that he decided to publish the books which are now available on Amazon. The books are titled “The Fight for Greatness,” “Never Judge a Fish on its Ability to Climb a Tree,” and “Your First Ten Years of Life”. Moreover, Michael is a published Author himself who’s most recent release is called “Borrowed Time.”
Michael wrote his first book in 2005.
“At the time, I was winding up my law enforcement career from local to federal agencies,” Michael explained. “After several years of being a top producer of arrests for drugs and DWI’s, I was sitting at a desk, dispatching and answering 911 calls for twelve hours every night. I started feeling depressed and wondering what I could’ve become in life. I spent my nights studying psychology, science, philosophy, and literature. I was taken by surprise when I checked my bank account and saw that I was earning more money selling books than I was at the police department. So, I wrote several more and I haven’t stopped since then. My first books were written for people in the same situation as me – looking to escape the career trap.”
Homeschooling
Aside from being a writer, Michael Evans is a life and career coach and a parent who opposed the public school common core curriculum so strongly that he decided to pull his children out of the traditional—and outdated—education system.
He now homeschools his children Michael Jr., Matthew, and Jocelyn by providing them with two hours of science, literature and math follows by much more time to explore the world, write, think and be kids. In fact, Michael helps his children learn about other countries and people by taking them on trips abroad, something scarce few traditional schools could ever afford to do.
“That’s social studies and cultural diversity,” Michael explained. “When children learn about another culture from a teacher who learned the lesson a priori, it defeats the purpose. We teach our children to investigate lessons taught in an a priori setting and unfortunately, the school system is based on this method. A social studies teacher, having never been to Haiti, has to read a book about Haiti, then teach what they read.
A child, after having visited Haiti several times understands the culture, geography, and people of that nation.”
Michael prefers to call his family’s style of education “Unschooling” since they have eliminated alarm clocks, tests, and labels from the curriculum. Their education model is based on mindfulness and secondary to that is Math, English, Literature, and Science. Yet Michael and his family are not immune to negative reactions from individuals who feel that homeschooled children are not properly socialized. “My children have close friends in several different states,” Michael declared. “They are very social and have a core group of friends that they are much closer to than a cafeteria conversation friend.”
Advice
Michael strongly believes that homeschooling will continue to grow in the near future and advises parents embarking on this endeavor to teach their children how to think, not what to think.
“Teach them critical thinking skills,” Michael stated. “I’ve seen the results of modern day schooling in society. The students have their diploma hanging on the wall, with little to no knowledge of how the world really works. Kids need to learn how to solve problems and think outside of the box. Remember that children learn at different paces, have different interests, and excel at different activities. Allow them the freedom to be what they are, not something we are trying to create. Children have their own aspirations and you’ll see a rebellion stage when they reach their teen years if you force your beliefs, your interests, and your points of view upon them.”
